The Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended regulatory actions in March following an assessment of gadolinium agents, including the suspension of certain marketing authorizations.

The FDA followed suit in September, voting to add retention warnings in labeling, and unanimously voting to require contrast manufacturers to conduct more studies on the implications and possible health risks of gadolinium retention.


Just this month, the agency issued a safety communication that requires “a new class warning and other safety measures” for all GBCAs used in MR in regard to gadolinium retention in the body, including the brain, for months to years following drug administration.

4) GE invests in MR workers and startup firms

One hundred more people can put food on the table for their families courtesy of GE Healthcare’s multimillion-dollar investment this march, which saw 100 positions added to its magnet resonance imaging components production operations in Florence County, South Carolina.

The $40 million investment was aimed at expanding the 500,000 square foot facility while addressing “some of the toughest challenges in health care, as well as making an impact in our local communities where we live and work,” as put by Florence plant manager Dale Wolf at the time of the investment.

Even South Carolina governor Henry McMaster praised the decision. “With companies like this one leading South Carolina’s manufacturing industry, there is no doubt that our state is going straight to the top,” he said.

GE initiated another financial endeavor in September through the launch of a health care accelerator, with a plan to invest as much as $50 million in startups to assist 5.8 billion people worldwide who are unable to obtain affordable, quality health care in developing economies.

The first step in this feat involves the accelerator identifying and providing support to health startups in these environments with the aim to bring on as many as 10 or more. The accelerator will provide each with as much as $5 million to help them in their endeavors.

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